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September Visa Bulletin Brings Family Gains, Employment Warnings for Indians
The September 2026 Visa Bulletin tells people when they may move forward in the green card process.
Indian workers in the biggest employment categories saw no progress this month.
EB-4 workers moved forward by two months.
The government also warned that the EB-5 investor category could become more restricted before the fiscal year ends.
Families applying through relatives saw much bigger improvements.
Some family categories moved forward by more than a year or even two years.
These dates can change again in October when the new fiscal year begins.
Applicants should check the official bulletin and seek qualified legal advice for their individual cases.
India’s EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 final action dates did not move in September 2026.
India’s EB-4 final action date advanced two months to December 15, 2022.
The bulletin newly warned that EB-5 unreserved could retrogress or become unavailable before September 30.
Family-sponsored dates advanced sharply, including F2B by over 18 months and F3 by more than two years.
The worldwide employment-based limit was recalculated to 186,317, raising the per-country limit to 28,862.
- Who
- Indian applicants seeking U.S. permanent residence through employment- or family-sponsored categories.
- What
- The September 2026 Visa Bulletin largely froze India’s main employment-based dates while advancing several family-sponsored dates and adding an EB-5 warning.
- Where
- The United States immigration visa system.
- When
- The September 2026 bulletin applies before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2026.
- Why
- Family-sponsored visa dates advanced as available numbers changed, while employment-based demand and annual numerical limits affected the other categories.
Key facts
- EB-1 India
- Final action date remained October 15, 2022.
- EB-2 India
- Final action date remained unavailable.
- EB-3 India
- Final action date remained January 1, 2014.
- EB-4 India
- Final action date advanced from October 15, 2022, to December 15, 2022.
- EB-5 warning
- The State Department warned that EB-5 unreserved could retrogress or become unavailable before September 30.
- Family movement
- F2B advanced from January 1, 2018, to August 22, 2019; F3 advanced from May 15, 2012, to October 22, 2014.
- Worldwide employment limit
- The FY 2026 limit was recalculated to 186,317, with a per-country limit of 28,862.
Quotes
U.S. Department of State
The federal agency that issues the Visa Bulletin and administers U.S. visa number allocations
“Sufficient demand and increased number use in the EB-5 unreserved visa category may make it necessary to retrogress the final action date or make the category unavailable before the end of the fiscal year to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the FY 2026 annual limit.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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